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After Jenny McIntosh's visit to Greenbelt there are possible initiatives to develop resources and information in this country. The Spirited Exchanges Website UKwill keep you up to date.
Posted 1 September 2005
Soul Space at Greenbelt 05
Roy and Henry were part of the Soul Space Team at Greenbelt again this year.
The programme was again well-received. A constant flow of people used the venue for quiet / prayer exercises, perhaps 800-900 in all; numbers coming for spiritual direction were almost identical to last year at 165, numbers attending workshops varied from seven for 'Life after Greenbelt' to anything between 40-100 for others, but all were felt to be useful. There was positive feedback from many people. All adapted quickly and almost instinctively to the activities offered in the Prayer Space (see picture).
The workshop programme we offered had a good variety of topics: reflective sessions on God and Gardening, The Colour of God, and Contemplative Prayer, The Monastery (two of the sisters on the team talking about their life in religious orders), Jenny McIntosh's conversation on Faith Journeys Outside the Church, and Monday's Life after Greenbelt session.
Posted 1 September 2005
Approaches to Prayer Website
The Approaches Prayer Website which can be accessed from the Annunciation Trust site was launched at Greenbelt in August 2004. It has now had over 30 000 visitors and the monthly rate is still increasing (now over 5000 per month). It is good to see the way the Trust has made Henry's book accessible and provided useful resources for Spiritual Directors and other interested in helping people to pray.
posted 5 May 2005
Visit of Jenny McIntosh
Last year at Greenbelt one of the Soul Space Workshops was given over to the Churchless Faith book by Alan Jamieson. It proved so popular that Roy Gregory has negotiated with Greenbelt to bring over from New Zealand for the festival Jenny McIntosh. She is a pastor in Alan Jamieson's church and facilitates groups for those who have left churches. There is a website and a Newsletter for these Spirited Exchange Groups. Jenny will be speaking at Greenbelt and is also interested to meet those in England working in this area of churchless faith. She can be contacted through the website. She will be based at Roy Gregory's church in St Albans.
posted 5 May 2005
News from Paul
I'm going to a course called 'Touching the Souls of Others' at Scargill House, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire in July. It's for those who lead retreats or spirituality workshops and courses. I'm also speaking at two Lone Parent Holiday weeks - one at Scargill in July, called 'Stop Spinning the Plates!', and the second at Capernwray Hall, Lancashire, in August, which is called 'This is Your Life!'. I'll be at each of these on my own this year, rather than with my wife, Linda, as she will be undergoing major surgery on both knees during the summer. I'm currently working on a model of 'contemporary Christian spirituality', rooted in the theology of Resurrection, Spirit and Vulnerability. When it's a bit more honed, I may put it on the net, but in the meantime, if anyone has any wisdom to share on the subject, I would love to hear from folk!
Posted 13 May 2005
News from Henry
About workshop "Art in spiritual direction" Several months already passed away but the experiences of participating in the workshop led in March 2005 by Rev. Henry Morgan in Lithuania are still very alive. Even more, the new energy is emerging from that experience. In the workshop called "Art in spiritual direction" gathered about 30 spiritual directors from all the corners of Lithuania. I would say, we, Lithuanians, are very close to the art by our nature itself- the images and imagination are still playing the important role in our worldview and the folk art still speaks to the hearts of the people not only lays on the shelves of museums. This should be one of the reasons why Henry's workshop was desired so much here and appreciated as a great help for those involved in the spiritual direction. I would like to share some important pieces from our experience. First of all, the inner dynamics during the workshop were very intense: the images were speaking and challenging our relationship with ourselves, with God, with others - including church community and our directees. On the first day of the seminar one of participants said to me: "It's so deep! Something very important is taking place here. It's starting." And it was truth - the further exercises, prayer and sharing were arranged in the way it helped to move forward in the search of the deepest. The second point I would like to notice - and I loved it very much - the flexibility of the program. When Henry started the workshop by saying that he still doesn't know what exactly we'll do together I felt a little alarmed: doesn't he know what he is going to do with us??? After few hours I realized: he is listening to the group to decide what to do next and making wise choices! It was a good example for all of us how attention to the movement of the Spirit should be given! Henry also invited us to bring and to share the art we use in spiritual direction and it felt very fair and enriching. Henry not only used various art pieces to pray and to work with but also showed us how drawing and painting could be used for spiritual exercises. Besides that it was funny to use finger painting, which I never tried before, this exercise helped me very much to express what my image of God is. Awareness of that image (which of course plays the key role in our ministry of spiritual direction) is very important treasure we brought back from the whole workshop. The setting of the workshop, provided by Henry, is worth of mentioning it. It felt as a part of the workshop dynamics and was very simple and helpful: the cloth with the celtic ornaments in the middle of the room, the lightning and putting of the candle each time by the different participant, the sound of the gong melting in the silence… It's uneasy to summarize such a rich experience... At the end of my brief sharing I would like to mention the fact that Lithuanian spiritual directors are inviting Henry again for another few workshops and hoping very much that he will be able to come : Sr. Ligita Ryliškyte SJE
Posted 16 June
News from Julian
Hannah was born to Julian and Claire on 4 March 2005 after a 28 hour labour and an emergency Caesarean. She
is an absolute delight and is now giggling and engaging in long, incomprehensible conversations.
September 05 News
Having had just over a year when I've been almost full-time working at the hospital chaplaincy, I'm going part-time from the beginning of October. I am available to see people for spiritual direction. Rather than see people at home (which is still in a certain amount of post-moving chaos), I shall use the facilities at the Spirituality Centre at Westminster Cathedral as it is so close, or at the London Spirituality Centre in Lombard Street if there are those who particularly want someone based in the City of London.
I'm also available as a facilitator/trainer/supervisor should anything of that sort crop up. And... I'm touting myself about as a web-designer. See what I've been getting up to on that front at: http://www.jm-web.co.uk.
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